Council to MCIAA: Hold airport fee hike

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council has requested the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority and the Department of Transportation and Communications to strategize plans to put on hold the proposed airport terminal fee hike.

This is to minimize the proposal’s impact on passengers and domestic tourism, according to the council.

In a privilege speech, City Councilor Nestor Archival Sr. said the proposed increase in terminal fee for domestic and international flights should be justified.

The proposal seeks to increase said fee by 50 percent for domestic flight passengers and 36 percent for international flight passengers.

 “Are these increases appropriate and necessary? And will these serve the public? Where do the rate increases go?” Archival said, adding that if such measure will be instituted, then passengers in Cebu airport will be paying higher terminal fees compared to their counterparts in Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport which still maintains its current terminal fees.

Archival also questioned why 50 percent of the total amount of the proposed terminal fee hike would go to GMR-Megawide, considering that the new airport infrastructure that the winning bidder is set to undertake has not yet been implemented.

Archival, who is also chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Energy, Transportation, Communications and Other Utilities, said he attended last Tuesday’s public hearing for the proposed hike.

 With the recent developments, the City Council has requested the Office of the President to retain the P14.4 billion in MCIAA’s bank account and to consider using the said fund solely for MCIA projects like the rehabilitation of the existing runway and construction of the second runway of the MCIA in order to ease air traffic problems.

 The council has also requested representatives from MCIAA and DOTC to attend a public hearing on October 29 to discuss the proposed increase, among other concerns and issues.

Archival’s speech was adopted by the City Council and a copy will be submitted to MCIAA as a position paper of the council. — (FREEMAN)